Nominations Open for Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board

The Bureau of Land Management is requesting public nominations to fill three positions on its national Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. Nominations are for a term of three years and are needed to represent the following categories of interest: wild horse and burro research, natural resource management, and public interest (with special knowledge of equine behavior). The Board advises the BLM, an agency of the Interior Department, and the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the Agriculture Department, on the protection and management of wild free-roaming horses and burros on public lands administered by those agencies. The BLM announced its formal request for nominations in the Federal Register (https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/07/02/2013-15873/notice-of-call-for-nominations-for-the-wild-horse-and-burro-advisory-board).

The nine members on the Advisory Board represent a balance of interests. Each member has knowledge or special expertise that qualifies him or her to provide advice in one of the following categories: wild horse and burro advocacy, wild horse and burro research, veterinary medicine, natural resources management, humane advocacy, wildlife management, livestock management, general public interest, and public interest (with special knowledge of equine behavior). Members must also have a demonstrated ability to analyze information, evaluate programs, identify problems, work collaboratively, and recommend corrective actions.

Any individual or organization may nominate one or more persons to serve on the Advisory Board; individuals may also nominate themselves. In accordance with Section 7 of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, Federal and state government employees are not eligible to serve on the Board, whose members serve three-year terms, on a staggered-term basis, with one-third of the Board subject to appointment each year.

The Board meets at least two times a year and the BLM Director may call additional meetings when necessary. Members serve without salary, but are reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses according to government travel regulations.

The BLM is accepting nomination letters plus resumes that include the nominee’s first, middle, and last name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, profession, educational background, relevant biographical information, references, and endorsements; the nominee must also state the specific category of interest for which he or she is most qualified in regard to the three vacancies. Nominations must be postmarked by August 16, 2013, to be considered for appointment. To send by the U.S. Postal Service, please mail to the National Wild Horse and Burro Program, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street, N.W., Room 2134 LM, Attn: Sharon Kipping WO-260, Washington, D.C. 20240. To send by FedEx or UPS, address to the National Wild Horse and Burro Program, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, 20 M Street, S.E., Room 2134 LM, Attn: Sharon Kipping, Washington, D.C. 20003. Or you may send a fax to Ms. Kipping at (202) 912-7182 or e-mail her at skipping@blm.gov. If you have questions, you may call Ms. Kipping at 202-912-7263.

The 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act mandates the protection, management, and control of wild horses and burros to ensure healthy free-roaming herd populations at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to support them.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.